McCain Links 9/11 and Iraq War (Again)

The National Intelligence Estimate concluded that the war in Iraq has been harmful to the war on terrorism. The report is a classified analysis of the consensus of all 16 US intelligence agencies. It was delivered to lawmakers this past April. According to Republicans and Democrats who received the analysis, it said that the war in Iraq had spread radicalism throughout the Middle East and the longer the war goes on, the more terrorist plots will be advanced. Republicans are not disputing the accuracy of the report. But according to the LA Times this morning, White House spokesman Peter Watkins said, “much of the radicals' rage at the United States and Israel goes back generations and is not linked to the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.” Using that logic, the problems of the world today go back to Esau selling his birthright to Jacob. But that explanation is a little remote for any rational discussion about the unnecessary war in Iraq that was embarked on unilaterally by the Bush administration and has “spawned radical terrorism throughout the Middle East”. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) didn’t bring up Biblical feuds or rage that goes back generations. But on CBS News “Face the Nation” yesterday, he did invoke the old White House saw about 9/11. McCain said, ”I think it’s obvious that the difficulties we’ve experienced in Iraq have certainly emboldened them (terrorist groups)...but I would also argue that these people didn’t need any motivation to attack us on Sept. 11.” “THESE PEOPLE”? What people, Mr. McCain? The Saudi’s slammed into the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. The report by the intelligence agencies says the war in Iraq has engendered terrorist groups. And dumb as we are, even Donald Rumsfeld did not attack Iraq because he thought it was Saudi Arabia. Dumb as he is, even Rumsfeld knew the difference between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. And how did Rumsfeld know the difference between Saudi Arabia and Iraq? Because right up to, through and including the Saudi attack on 9/11, and even to the point that the Bush administration decided to obliterate Iraq, George W. Bush was playing kissy-face with his great good pal Saudi Prince Bandar. Saudi Arabia is and always has been off-limits for blame or reprisals. Was Al-Qaeda operating in Saudi Arabia? Yes. Did the US know that the Saudi’s attacked the WTC and that Al-Qaeda had cells in Saudi Arabia? Yes. Did the US ever go after the Saudi’s or Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia for the attack on the WTC? No. What did the US do? Because the Saud friendship with the Bush regime was sacrosanct, the US blamed Iraq for 9/11. And now that the analysis of 16 intelligence agencies reports that terrorism throughout the Middle East has been spread by the war in Iraq, the Bush administration is still flogging the old lie that terrorist groups in Iraq are the same terrorists who attacked the WTC. Let us never forget that the terrorists who attacked the WTC were from Saudi Arabia and that at the time of the attack the Bush administration was in bed with the Saud royal family. And the Bush administration saw to it that 40 Saudi’s who were on American soil on September 11, 2001 were whisked out of the US on US planes the night of the attack. It would be nice if Senator McCain would be a little more explicit about his “these people” allegations. The people who attacked us on 9/11 may well have been members of Al-Qaeda, but they were from Saudi Arabia not Iraq. And the US surely wasn’t going to go to war with the Sauds because our Saudi oil deals trumped our Iraq oil deals. So the answer was to hold Saudi Arabia harmless, blame Iraq for everything going back to Isaac and Ishmael and seize Iraq’s oil into the bargain. And that’s what we set out to do. But because the US strategists are stupid, arrogant and ignorant, it hasn't worked out. We have fouled the whole Iraq nation, ruined Iraqi lives, murdered their citizens, killed their economy, and we didn’t even get Iraq’s oil. Plus, we’re in debt up to our eyeballs. And the LA Times reports this morning, “The Army's top officer withheld a required 2008 budget plan from Pentagon leaders last month after protesting to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that the service could not maintain its current level of activity in Iraq plus its other global commitments without billions in additional funding.” Now we find out 16 intelligence agencies say the United States has “spawned radical terrorism throughout the Middle East”. So, what people are responsible for all of the above, Mr. McCain? None other than your political party and THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION--those fine folks that protected Saudi Arabia, the nation responsible for the 9/11 attacks.